DREAMS COME TRUE

For being a game that has caused a musical debate for well over a decade, Sonic the Hedgehog CD has never seen its original Japanese soundtrack released. Sure, nearly all the songs for the Spencer Nilsen soundtrack composed for the North American release were seen on the CD Sonic Boom (which itself was a pre-order bonus for Sonic the Hedgehog 3), and one can not forget the excellent Japan-exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog Remix, which used the Japanese soundtrack as its inspiration. But the songs originally composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata have never seen a stand alone release. Hot on the heels of the best-of compilations for the “Dreamcast Era” of Sonic, Wavemaster continues to celebrate Sonic’s 20th anniversary in style by announcing the Sonic the Hedgehog CD Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition. Calling itself the first complete release of the game’s music, it’s sure to cause some people to get very excited to relive the soundtrack Ohshima demanded be on there.

Set to be released on November 23rd, the disc looks to be the best desert one could expect for the 20th anniversary, winding down after the main course that is Sonic Generations. But that appetizer we have been waiting patiently for? We knew how many tracks there were going to be, but the list has finally been revealed.

Entirely composed by DREAMS COME TRUE frontman Masato Nakamura, the tracks have never been part of an official release through any record label, even though they were from one of the biggest musical acts in Japan. This injustice will finally cease on October 19th, 2011 when the Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack is finally coming out. And with the style it always deserved.

There are many reasons why the classic Sonic titles have resonated with everyone for the last twenty years. The memorable characters, the amazing art design, the wondrous level layouts, the ability to roll to your heart’s content…but it wouldn’t be the Sonic experience without the music. Heck, even the worst games in the series still have had amazing music. But unfortunately, the games that started it all have never had a proper music release.

That’s why we should all be very, very excited about what’s in the pipeline. For the first time ever, the original Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel are getting the full treatment, the 16-bit genius of Masato Nakamura finally getting the respect it deserves. For you see, it’s not just a case of a simple game rip being hastily thrown onto a music CD. Though a track listing hasn’t been released just yet, there are meant to be numerous bonus tracks. Is the full version of DREAMS COME TRUE’s SWEET SWEET SWEET going to be on there? Perhaps. But for the first time ever, the original demo tapes to the game’s music is going to be released. Yes, the music at its earliest, rawest form finally available for the masses. This is content people thought was lost to the ages, or at least buried so deep in Sega’s vaults that they would never bother to put it together.

A release date for the compilation has yet to be announced, but expect it to come out at some point this year in Japan. No word yet on a western release, so you may be forced to import the disc to celebrate Sonic’s 20th anniversary in style.